Automobile torpedo



w. DIETER AUTOMOBILE TORPEDO Filed Jan. 28. 1926 FL'lgJ.

Patented pr. 5, 1927.

f f "ref XVILLIAM DIETER, OF NEWARK, NEVI JERSEY.

AUTOMOBILE roerend.

Application filed January 28, 1926. Serial No. 84,318:

rlhis invention introduces certain improvements pertaining to the afteroody andtail section of automobile' torpedoes, such, for example, as the Bliss-Leavitt torpedo.

l such torpedoes the exhaust or spent gases from the turbine (or other motor)l are discharged into an after-body section which constitutes an exhaust chamber, and are discharged therefrom through a bulkhead at its aft end into the tail sectionY of the automobile, from which the exhaust gases are discl'iargcd at the stern. This discharge in the standard nava torpedo occurs by passing` through holes in enlarged tubular vportions constituting stern extensions of the inner and outer propeller shafts, these holes communicating with the chamber in the tail section and admitting flow 'therefrom into the inner propeller shaft from which the are discharged at the stern end. A

As applied to suoli torpedoes the present invention provides certain improvements inl the exhaust valves kwhich open to permit discharge of the exhaust gases and close at the end of the run to prevent inflow of water and thereby cause the torpedoy after a practice run to rise to the surface; and in the oil duct through which oil flows under pressure to lubricate the stern bearings of the propeller shafts.

The constructions upon which the present invention provi-des improvements are shown with sufficient accuracy in patents of F. Leavitt, No. 1,076,295', dated October 2-1, 1913, and No. 1,108,196, dated August 25, 1914.

The accompanying drawing shows the ade, joining portions of the afterbody and tail section of a Bliss-Leavitt torpedo constructed to embody the present invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical longi-V tudinal mid-section' of such portions. y

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 in Fig. i

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectiony on the line 3-3 in Fig.' 1.

Fig. 4 shows the parts' pertaining to the exhaust valve spring separated, the enclosing parts being in midsection.

Referring to the' drawing, let A designa-te the hull or shell of the torpedo, which is subdivided into sections, the portion B' con stit'ut'ing the afterbody and the"V portion C the tail section'. D andE are respectively the outer and inner propeller shafts, and'D and E are respectively the tail sections of these shafts', which are enlarged in usualV manner and provided' with openings F, F respectively, to'l admit flow of spent gases from the chamber G within the tail sectionl into the bore of the inner shaft E through which the gases flow to the stern', where they are discharged' into the water aft the propeller screws', all as in usual ina-nner. The spent gases exhausted from the turbine are dischargedhrst into the interior of the afterbody which forms' an exhaust chamber H, and from this chamber they pass through the bulkhead J into the chamber G of the tail section. The openings K through which they pass (one of,V which is shown in section in Fig.V 1)4 are closed by exhaust valves L when the' torpedo is at rest, or after it has completed its run, these valves-being pressed to their seats by sui'table"'springs and' forced open by the pressure o f the exhaust gases during the run. Always heretofore these springs have been mounted forward of the valves and carried by the after-body and have been exposed to heat from the hot eX- haust gases circulating` through the afterbody. .To the extent of the pressure on these valves there is imposed on the gases in the chamber H a slight back pressure which isutilizedtol force oil out from a reservoir through a suitable duct to lubricate the aft propeller shaft bearings. (This lubricating system is not here shown, but is fully show-n and Ydescribed in said Patent No: 1,108,196.) A portion of the oil duct leading to said aft propeller bea-rings is shown inthe accompanyingdrawings, being lettered ll/l,I

Suclrbeifng the general known construction prior to the present invention', the features peculiar to this invention will now be described.-

The exhaust valves L (two of which are shown in Fig. 2) are each mounted on a sliding stem a moving in a fixed bearing hub b carriedon an arm c lixedly mounted on a post-d which 'is fixedly attached t-o the bulkhead J. Thus, on the separation of the tail section the parte thus described remain connected to the afterbod'y. A spring S for the valve Ly is mountedl in connection with the tai-lsection and is located aft of the valve, so that upon the separation of the tailsect-ionth'e spring is separated from -the valve and is rendered accessible within the' ilo Cil

tail section. The spring is shown as a helical spring and communicates with the valve through the medium of a. stem e which in the position of use abuts atV its front end against the rear end of the stem a. The spring S reacts rearwardly against any suitable abutment attached to the tail section, and presses forwardly against the stem e preferably by means of a collar e formed thereon. It is undesirable to leave the spring S exposed in the chamber G, because this chamber is lilled with the hot exhaust gases which would in time be apt to impair the temper of the spring. It is also desirable to eifectually lubricate the stem e which is mounted in sliding bearings. These results are attained by enclosing the spring in an oil chamber f which itself is enclosed in a water chamber g through which a` circulation of cool sea water from the exterior is maintained during the run of the torpedo. These chambers in the preferred construction shown are provided as follows: A. tubular shell 7L is formed with two water passages z' and j terminating in suitable flanges y, whereby it is fastened to the outer shell A of the tail sect-ion. rlhe passages z', j communicate with coinciding holes z", y" in this shell so as to be in *free communication with the sea water in which the torpedo is traveling. The motion of the torpedo induces a current of water which enters through one of these passages, circulates through the inner chamber g, and flows out through the other passage.

lVithin the shell L thus described, is introduced an inner shell 7c (Fig. 4;) having in one end an opening 7c through which the stem e freely slides, and closed at the other end by a cap or plug Z having a similar hole Z receiving the stem c. rlhis inner shell Zu is preferably screwed into one end of the shell it, as shown, whereby that end of the latter is closed. lts other end may be closed by a disk t, or in any other convenient way. rIhe spring S presses against the flange e and reacts rearwardly against the screw plug Z. Upon assembling the parts within the shell ll; the chamber f is filled with oil for lubricating the stem c. The stem e slides freely within the holes It', Z', and, being of equal diameter in each, its movement occasions no change in the capacity of the oil chamber f, and consequently no oil is expelled by its movements, the oil simply circulating within the chamber f. Thus the sarinff` is' kept immersed in oil, which, if it is a steel spring, prevents its rusting; while the oil also lubricates the stem; and as there is no pressure tending to expel the oil (since theA uid pressures at opposite ends are balanced) a single charge of oil should remain in this chamber indefinitely. f

It results from this feature of construction that the spring is not only enclosed in an o-il chamber, but is kept cool by the circulation around this oil chamber of water at the normal temperature of sea water, which is kept flowing through the outer chamber or jacket g.

@ne of the advantages of this construction is that the valve L is given a straight line movement which causes` it, when forced open, to afford an equal annular# passage all around for the escape of gases, thereby utilizing in full the outflow area of the port. rEhe stem e and spring being also aligned with the stem o, the spring stress is exerted in line with the movement of the valve L so that it is most effectively applied. When the tail section is separated from the afterbody, the valve L remains carried by the latter, and the spring chamber and stem e are carried by the tail section; when the tail section is replaced, the act of attaching it to the afterbody necessarily brings the stems e and a into alignment, and by this act the stem c is slightly displaced (to the position shown in Fig. l), whereby to bring the spring stress to bear upon the valve L and hold it. seated. lVhen the valve L is forced open the stem e is pressed back, this movement merely displacing a small amount of water from the water chamber within the shell h, the effect of which is negligible.

The parts are easily disassembled by unscrewing the shell 7: from the shell Zz, after which the plug Z may be unscrewed to remove the spring and stem e.

The oil duct M for conducting oil from an oil cup or reservoir (not shown) in the afterbody through the bulkhead J and the joint between the afterbody and tail section, and to the propeller shaft aft bearings (not shown), involves a novel construction designed to facilitate the separation and rcconnection with the afterbody and tail section. (The parts not here shown are of usual construction and are clearly illustrated in said Patent No. 1,108,196.) The oil duct lVl is provided with the usual check valve P to prevent back-iow of oil, but this valve, instead of being mounted in the tail section as heretofore, is now located in the afterbody, its construction otherwise being not necessarily changed. From this -valve the oil duct M is formed as a tube m (preferably of copper) leadingl to a nipple a which passes through the bulkhead J and receives arcap p, whereby it is confined to the bulkhead, and which cap also serves as a terminal facing or seating g. In the working position aligned with this and pressed into leak-tight contact therewith is a seating connection or piston 7 appurtenant to a litt-ing or shell Q which is fastened within the tail section. This part Q has within it a combined spring chamber and oil chamber t enclosing' a spring s. From the oil chamber t ne'aaose al tube u form-ing a continuation of the' oili duct M leads aft and extends ultimately to thev propeller shaft bearings' as hereto-fore. Between the" fittings' p and r is a seat-ing p'a'ckilng'or gasket o which may be carried by either part, being' shown as applied to the' cap p. Thev fitting' o is pressed against p by the stress of thespring. s Whielr acts tor- Wardly against theI piston r and reacts rear'- War'dly against a shoulder in the part Q. The piston r' has a reduced' stenrw ext-ending' rearivardiy and projecting through the' ting Q and receiving a Cotter pini x which, when the parts are separated, prevents the piston beingpressedy too Jfar' forvva-rdby the spring s. The' pistonr' and itsstemw are boredi out t'ubi'i'larly to form aJ portion' of the oil duct from which the oil; iovvs'through lateral perforations the stem into the oil? chamber t, and thence out through tlie tube u.

When the tail section is separated' from the aiterbody the piston r' is carried:Y aivay with the tail section; Vil-lien the tail section is replaced, the piston' is brought backinto coincident aligi'i-ment with thez terlninalv litting p, and the uniting of thev taii section brings it into' position to' pressV back the piston r against the spring' s' so`L that thev stress ot' the spring is exerted to hold the parts r, p' pressed together, whereby to make a tight joint between them with the aid of the gasket o.

The spring s being enclosed in a chamber t through Which oil is constantly flowing during the run of the torpedo, is not only protected against rust, but is also kept so cool as not to impair its temper.

This construction is practically anv important improvement over that heretofore used, in which much difficulty has been encountered in bringing the parts of the oil duct carried respectively by the atterbody and tail section together in proper communication when the tail section was applied to the afterbody. It has sometimes resulted that the parts were put together Without the sections of the oil duct being thus brought into communication, so that there was no conduction of oil 'from its source in the al'terbody to the propeller shaft bearings, with the result that these bearings were not lubricated and serious dama-ge resulted.

The invention is susceptible of a reasonable degree of modification Within the scope of theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an automobile torpedo having a transverse bulkhead with an exhaust opening through it, an exhaust valve to close said opening, and a spring carried by the tail section and located on the4 aft side of said bulkhead to close said valve.

2. In an automobile torpedo having a transverse bulltliead vvithan' exhaust opening through it, an exhaustl valive'lto close sai-d5' op'ening, a sliding' stemy for said@ valve", a. Y

support in vvliielr said stern slides, and a valve'v having'a straight line movement Withl a springen itsaft side' carried?v by the' t'a-il sect-ion and exertingv forward pressure to cl-"ose the valve- 4. Inr an automobile torpedo lia-vingY ani afterbody and tail section, an exhaust valve carried'4 by the' afterbody and a spring :tor closing' said valve' carried by thev tailE section,- and separable from the valve on removing the tail s'ectitfar.A j Y 5. In'- anautomobile torpedo having an aiterbody and tail' section, an exhaust valve carried by the atter'body and" a springpressed" stem'- carried?l by the t'ailv section adlapteti when the sections are unit'ecl to engage tli-'e valve tol cl'ose' it.

6. In an automobile torpedo), anexha'us'tV valve and'l a spring for closing" saidl valve', Witli n'ae'ans for' Walter-coolingsaid spring during'tlie run of the' torpedo. j y I 7. In an auton'robile torpedo,v an exhaust valve and' a spring for closing saidvalve, with al chamber-enclosing saidf spring' having communication with the exterior to admit Water to cool the spring.

8. In an automobile torpedo, an exhaust valvel and a spring for closing said valve, with an oil chamber enclosing said spring.

9. In an automobile torpedo, an exhaust valve and a spring for closing said valve, with an oil chamber enclosing said spring, and a vvater chamber enclosing said oil chamber for cooling the latter.

l0. In an automobile torpedo, an exhaust valve, a spring for closing it, a stem transmitting the stress of said spring to said valve, an oil chamber enclosing said spring, and into which said stem projects, and a Water-cooling chamber enclosing said oil chamber.

11. In an automobile torpedo having an afterbody and tail section, an exhaust valve carried by the afterbody, a spring for closing said valve, a shell carried by the tail section forming a Water chamber, a shell enclosed therein and enclosing said spring, and a stem Working in said latter shell and communicating stress from the spring to the valve.

l2. In an automobile torpedo having an afterbody and tail section, an exhaust valve carried by the afterbody and having a sliding stem, a spring therefor, and a sliding stem, both carried by the tail section and adapted upon the connection of the tail section With the afterbody to bring said stem into alignment and Contact with the valve Orl stem, whereby to transmit stress from said spring to the valve.

13. In an automobile torpedo having an afterbody, a transverse bulkhead, and a tail` section removably attached to the afterbody, with lubricating means comprising an oil duct passing through the bulkhead and having portions Vcarried by the afterbody and tail section respectively, with a separable connection between such portions comprising a member mounted on the a-terbody and a member carried by the tail section, adapted to come into abutment on the union of said parts.

14. In an automobile torpedo having an afterbody closed at its ait side byk a bulkhead, and a tail section removably attached thereto, with lubricating` means comprising an oil duct passing through the bulkhead and having portions carried by the afterbody and tail section respectively, with a separable connection between such portions comprising a member mounted on the bulkhead and a member carried by the tail secy tion, adapted to come into abutment on the union of said parts, and one member springpressed against the other to' make a close joint between them by the act of uniting the tail section t0 the afterbody.

15. In an automobile torpedo, lubricating means according to claim 13, one of said members formed as a spring-pressed sliding piston.

16. In an automobile torpedo, lubricating means according to claim 13, a spring for pressing onemember against the other, an means 'for cooling said spring.,

17. In an automobile torpedo, lubricating kmeans according to claim 13, a spring for pressing` one member against the other, and an oil chamber enclosing` said spring and through which the oil flows, whereby the spring is cooled.

18. In an automobile torpedo, lubricating means according to claim 13, one of said members formed as a sliding piston having a projecting rod, a chamber carried by the tail section enclosing said piston, a spring within said chamber pressing against said piston, said rod 'emerging from said chamber, and a stop on said rod for limiting the projection of the piston when the tail section is disconnected.

19. In an automobile torpedo, lubricating means according to claim 13, and a check valve in connection with the oil duct for preventing back-How, said check valve carried by the afterbody. f

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

VILLIAM DIETER. 

